Chalkbeat

Education news. In context.

Chalkbeat

Denver Public Schools

Super Search

Colorado
9 hours ago

‘Who we are:’ Denver’s background statement for superintendent candidates, annotated

Read the full document here. We’ve also annotated it with explanations, context, and links to our previous coverage.

Super Search

Colorado
August 10, 2018

This search firm will help Denver find its next superintendent

The board has agreed to pay Hazard, Young, Attea and Associates $30,000 plus travel expenses.

growing enrollment

Colorado
August 8, 2018

Answering a call: Here’s who raised their hands to open a new middle school in Stapleton

Enrollment in the neighborhood is growing, and the Denver district needs a new middle school there.

special education

Colorado
August 6, 2018

State investigation: Denver violated federal rules, delayed services to students with disabilities

The investigation was prompted by a complaint filed on behalf of several Denver students.

'Responsible discourse'

Colorado
August 2, 2018

Opposing groups call for all sides to play nice in Denver schools superintendent search

The statement quickly prompted a backlash on social media from community members who have been critical of the district.

Super Search

Colorado
July 31, 2018

The Denver school board is aiming to name superintendent finalists by October

But some community members are already skeptical of the process and timeline.

educators of color

Colorado
July 30, 2018

Denver’s newest group of teachers is its most diverse ever

Hiring more teachers of color has long been a goal for the urban district.

hands on

Colorado
July 27, 2018

‘You can do whatever you set your mind to:’ Three Denver students talk about their summer internships

Denver Public Schools has been running the internship program, called CareerLaunch, for three years.

More seats

Colorado
July 25, 2018

New data, shifting plans: Denver district calls for new middle school in Stapleton

Six months after Denver district leaders opted not to seek proposals for new schools serving specific grades and neighborhoods, they changed course Wednesday, announcing plans…

choosing leaders

Colorado
July 18, 2018

Meet one possible successor to departing Denver superintendent Tom Boasberg

Susana Cordova, Denver's deputy superintendent, already led the district once before.

Super Search

Colorado
July 18, 2018

Denver community has lots of advice on picking a new superintendent – who will the board heed?

In the wake of news that Tom Boasberg will step down as Denver's superintendent, community members have begun to weigh in on what they want in the district's next leader.

saying goodbye

Colorado
July 17, 2018

Here’s how the local and national education communities are responding to Boasberg’s exit

As the news of Tom Boasberg’s departure ricocheted through the local and national education community, critics and champions of the Denver schools superintendent sounded off.

reading list

Colorado
July 17, 2018

These 12 stories help define Tom Boasberg’s tenure leading Denver’s schools

Tom Boasberg leaves behind nearly a decade of high-profile debates and decisions that reshaped the city’s public school system and made local and national headlines.

End of an era

Colorado
July 17, 2018

Denver superintendent Tom Boasberg is stepping down after nearly 10 years

Boasberg will continue to serve for 90 days, as his contract with the district requires.

Looking to the future

Colorado
July 13, 2018

Why this standalone Denver charter school is considering joining forces with a network

Leaders from both Roots Elementary and Rocky Mountain Prep see a potential merger as mutually beneficial.

teacher training

Colorado
July 3, 2018

The first year of teaching is notoriously tough. Denver is experimenting with a new approach

“Associate teachers” will teach part-time in a high-poverty school and spend the rest of their time planning, observing, and learning.

reserved seating

Colorado
June 29, 2018

Denver’s new plan gives its neediest students a shot at coveted schools, but waitlists could grow

“This is a real big step forward in enrollment equity,” Superintendent Tom Boasberg said.

language learning

Colorado
June 28, 2018

KIPP charter network launching biliteracy program at new Denver elementary school

KIPP officials heard from families in southwest Denver who wanted a bilingual education for their children.

Trauma-informed

Colorado
June 27, 2018

Denver principals denounce family separation policies, reassure immigrants that schools are safe for their children

Principals of Denver schools say changes in immigration policy and enforcement have left their students traumatized and fearful.

Program canceled

Colorado
June 27, 2018

AmeriCorps ‘volunteers’ in Denver schools were district employees, investigation finds

The district department that got the grant is barred from reapplying.

data dump

Colorado
June 25, 2018

Colorado releases new childhood immunization data: See how your school measures up

Colorado recently released the second version of its school-by-school immunization database.

Unintended consequences

Colorado
June 22, 2018

When Denver stopped lunch-shaming, debt from unpaid meals skyrocketed

After the Denver school district outlawed lunch-shaming last fall, debt from unpaid lunches ballooned.

reaction

Colorado
June 20, 2018

Some see a victory in Denver pausing its school closure policy, others a ‘slap in the face’

“We know this is not a result of DPS coming to some enlightened position around school closures. We know this is directly related to communities organizing.”

turnover

Colorado
June 19, 2018

The principal of Denver’s South High School is leaving due to health concerns

Bobby Thomas, formerly principal of Summit Academy, will be the interim principal for the 2018-19 school year.

Changes

Colorado
June 18, 2018

Far northeast Denver gets campus upgrades, but not the traditional high school some want

“You can’t just dangle low-hanging fruit and believe that’s enough,” one school board member said.

a different model

Colorado
June 15, 2018

Denver expands its experiment with more autonomous ‘innovation zones’

Innovation zones represent a different way of managing schools that is somewhere between the traditional approach and that of charter schools.

A new approach

Colorado
June 12, 2018

Denver’s school board is taking a break from its school closure policy

The pause would be in effect for the 2018-19 school year.

coaching the coaches

Colorado
June 11, 2018

Some of Denver’s top teachers will get training to better help their colleagues

Data shows teachers like the approach and their students benefit from it.

big league

Colorado
June 7, 2018

Denver’s DSST charter network is up for a $250,000 prize

Finalists were chosen based on factors such as test scores and progress toward closing achievement gaps.

'community dialogue'

Colorado
May 31, 2018

Far from reaching its ambitious goals, the Denver district plans to ask for community input

“What I am hoping for is to test the path we’re on," the school board president said.

back and forth

Colorado
May 30, 2018

Against a backdrop of protests, teacher contract negotiations in Denver get heated

Teachers argue that base salaries are too low and the bonuses make their paychecks unpredictable.

school segregation

Colorado
May 25, 2018

In Denver’s gentrifying neighborhoods, some middle-class parents are avoiding the school down the block

“Everybody wants schools to be more ethnically and socioeconomically diverse. But the only control you have over that as a parent is to send your child there."

new schools

Colorado
May 24, 2018

Denver approves more schools that will wait ‘on the shelf’ to open, despite pushback

Some Denver board members say this approach assumes other schools will close, something they hope won't happen.

'indigenized' curriculum

Colorado
May 21, 2018

Denver doesn’t graduate half of its Native American students. This charter school wants to change that

The American Indian Academy of Denver would be unlike any other school in the city.

Police in schools

Colorado
May 18, 2018

The Denver school district is exploring the idea of creating its own police officers

This is not yet a formal proposal, but the idea is already generating pushback.

concurrent enrollment

Colorado
May 17, 2018

New state law forces Denver to change course on its ‘early colleges’

Lawmakers wanted to change the law because they feared the early college model would become too expensive.

still searching

Colorado
Updated May 22, 2018

Three candidates, no new leader: Principal search at Denver’s Manual High to continue

The search committee is recommending the district name an interim principal for the rest of 2018.

Up and up

Colorado
May 9, 2018

Number of Denver students earning a ‘seal of biliteracy’ continues to skyrocket

Students earned seals this year in 20 different languages.

discipline disparities

Colorado
May 9, 2018

Colorado schools gave out nearly 1,800 suspensions to young students with disabilities last year

A Chalkbeat analysis shows that in Colorado last year, special education students in kindergarten through second grade received a disproportionate number of suspensions.

money money money

Colorado
May 7, 2018

New tell-all budget document details how much the Denver school district spends on libraries, lawyers, and more

The goal, Superintendent Tom Boasberg said, is to be more upfront with taxpayers.

enrollment woes

Colorado
Updated May 22, 2018

Why these Denver charter schools are closing or delaying opening

Enrollment growth districtwide has slowed recently after years of rapid growth.

postsecondary

Colorado
May 3, 2018

The number of Denver high school graduates enrolling in college is rising

“Students’ passion, dedication, and tenacity is inspiring."

Statistics

Colorado
May 1, 2018

Colorado was never ranked 46th for teacher pay. Does this change the debate?

The ranking has become a key feature of the school funding debate, and it’s unlikely to disappear from the public narrative anytime soon.

How I Teach

Colorado
May 1, 2018

This award-winning Colorado educator teaches computer gaming (Shhh, it’s actually math)

A computer gaming teachers talks about what turned her into math-lover, why she builds forts with her students, and how off-task behavior is like a canary in a coal mine.

Leader search

Colorado
April 30, 2018

Three candidates are vying to become principal of Denver’s Manual High School

The three candidates include two who currently work for Denver Public Schools.

Follow Up

Colorado
April 27, 2018

Investigation finds former Manual High principal Nick Dawkins violated district harassment policy, document shows

District policy defines harassment as “unwelcome, hostile, and offensive verbal, written, or physical conduct."

Contract over

Colorado
Updated April 27, 2018

Antwan Wilson no longer working as a consultant for Denver Public Schools

"He has informed us that he has other contracts that require his full attention.”

Special education reorganization

Colorado
April 26, 2018

Only 33 black students with disabilities in Denver met expectations on state tests

Officials revealed those shockingly low numbers as further justification for a previously proposed reorganization of the special education department.

pick a school

Colorado
April 19, 2018

Denver touts record participation in school choice process

More than 27,000 families submitted school choices, up 17 percent from last year.

13 years of reform

Colorado
April 13, 2018

Bennet and Boasberg: Denver schools needed big changes, and the work isn’t nearly done

The two men responsible for guiding Denver schools through dramatic changes over the last 13 years shared the same stage Friday and said their decisions…
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